Woody Desert Senna
2 Leaf bases (no leaflets), not a leaf
Ellura
Twin-leaf Desert Senna
Leaves
 
                      
Woody Desert Senna (Senna artemisioides ssp petiolaris)Class: Plants (Plantae) - Land Plants (Charophyta) - Land Plants (Equisetopsida) - Shrubs & Bushes
Order: Legumes (Fabales)
Family: Legume (Fabaceae or Leguminosae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Woody Desert Senna (Senna artemisioides ssp petiolaris)
This Photo:     🔍Comparison S a filifolia & artemisioides🔎
Other names: Flat-stalk Senna or Woody Cassia

Thank you David Muirhead for confirming the id of this species for us

EXTRA - Photo Specific Information:
Here we have (left to right)
1 x Senna artemisioides ssp petiolaris
2 x S. a. filifolia
1 x S. a. artemisioides
General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA), the Riverland and elsewhere
Similar to ssp filifolia, but the base of the leaf is always flattened, not cylindrical, even in the young leaves.
The leaf base is thicker (compared to length) than old filifolia leaves.
The leaf splits into leaflets about 2/3rds the way along, not 1/2 way (as in filifolia).
ssp petiolaris leaflets tend to curve over more on the ends compared with ssp filifolia leaflets.
All these tendencies mean that you could get a leaf off a ssp filifolia bush that matches a ssp petiolaris. But you won't see a petiolaris leaf that has a cylindrical base.
All Senna artemisioides can loose the end leaflets.

Copyright © 2014-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 05-Feb-2014
This species is classed as LC (Least Concern) in the Murray Mallee, SA, by DENR (Regional Species Status Assessments, July 2010)